There are many situations where children require transportation on multiple passenger vehicles. Field trips and transportation to school require a school bus. Some children are transported in large multiple passenger vans. Airplanes, commercial buses, trains all create situations where children can be easily displaced or forgotten about due to other pressures on a vehicle operator. When children are overlooked in conveyances of this sort, it may have dreadful consequences. Children have died from being left in overheated vehicles. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the presence of a child on a multiple passenger vehicle can be more readily and easily detected. The development of the invention herein described fulfills this need.
It is all too often that we hear on the news of a child is left behind a school bus after a school day. Most of the time, the child is found at the school bus yard storage facility and the story ends happily. However in some cases, such as in inclement weather, weekends, or when a parent thinks the child is with someone else, the event can end tragically with a child's death. The causes of such oversight are many and may include new bus drivers, substitute bus drivers, or more likely, a child that has simply fallen asleep. Even with a required walk through after the bus run, children are sometimes simply overlooked. The development of the invention herein described fulfils this need.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,151,452 issued to Shieh discloses a vehicle occupant sensing system comprising a sensing system to determine if a child is within a motor vehicle. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to disclose an apparatus and method the uses a unique identifier card issued to school children to monitor a child's presence on a school bus nor does this patent appear to disclose the use of a plurality of sensors located in the seats of a multiple passenger vehicle that electronically communicate with a main control cabinet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,983 issued to Filppov et al discloses an occupant presence detection device that is able to detect whether a person is seated and occupying a motor vehicle, restaurant seat or the like. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to disclose a main control cabinet that is pivotally adjustable adjacent to an operator nor does it appear to disclose the use of unique identifier cards issued to passengers that are read by a reader on the main control cabinet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,091,873 issued to Bauer et al. discloses a device and method for detecting the occupation of a seat in a motor vehicle comprising a sensor analyzer and a detector analyzer. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to a system that utilizes unique identifier cards issued to passengers to determine their presence in an assigned seat on a vehicle nor does this patent appear to disclose a system capable of wireless control and monitoring.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,360 issued to Oestreicher et al discloses a method and system for determining weight and position of a vehicle seat occupant for use in controlling a restraint system in a motor vehicle. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to disclose a disclose an apparatus and method the uses a unique identifier card issued to school children to monitor a child's presence on a school bus nor does this patent appear to disclose the use of a plurality of sensors located in the seats of a multiple passenger vehicle that electronically communicate with a main control cabinet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,450 issued to Young and Nathan discloses a vehicle occupant sensing system having discrete wiring comprising a controller and at least one sensor assembly. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to disclose an apparatus that is utilized to detect the presence of a child on a multiple passenger vehicle and that is capable of alerting responsible individuals of that situation.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,639 issued to Kiribaynashi discloses an occupant detection system for vehicles comprising a seat occupancy sensor that interacts with an air bag electrical control unit. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to a system that utilizes unique identifier cards issued to passengers to determine their presence in an assigned seat on a vehicle nor does this patent appear to disclose a system capable of wireless control and monitoring.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,514 issued to Fortune discloses an occupant classification method based on seated weight measurement for purposes of air bag suppression. Unfortunately, this patent does not appear to disclose a sensing system for children capable of detecting the presence of a child on a multiple passenger vehicle and that further alerts individuals to the unattended child nor does it appear that this system is capable of wireless control and monitoring via an external antenna.